To Dalit brothers and sisters,
I do not deny atrocities. I have seen them with my own eyes when I was a child. I have seen Dalits living on the outskirts of our village. I have heard derogatory words like chooda and chamaar being used openly for them. I remember that when they visited others’ homes, they were made to sit on the floor. At that age, I did not fully understand what was happening, but with time, I understood how deeply unjust it was.
I condemn such treatment in the strongest possible terms; it is inhuman, crude, and shameful. Anyone who practices or supports such behaviour today deserves severe punishment.
At the same time, it is also true that the overwhelming majority of present-day GC and OBC families neither practice nor support such discrimination. And the system, in its quest to overcorrect, has created a structure that by default treats every GC/OBC individual as casteist criminal unless proven otherwise, which is also unfair.
One cannot morally or rationally justify harassing the present generation for injustices committed in the past. Holding people accountable for actions they neither committed nor endorsed converts the struggle against historical injustice into a new form of injustice.
Historical wrongs must be acknowledged and corrected through institutional reform, equal opportunity, and restoration of dignity, not through social revenge that sustains perpetual hostility instead of reconciliation.
This is why I support the Atrocities Act but oppose the absence of provisions against misuse. Punish those who commit crimes, but ensure that innocents are not targeted as a form of revenge. The same applies to UGC regulations. That is the basis of the opposition.
1. Adarneeya Pradhan Mantri ji Shri @narendramodi, thank you for your stellar leadership which allows the common Bharateeya to breathe easy even under these circumstances. Finally this Rashtra is punching its weight and we are fortunate to witness it in our lifetime.
After 20 years at Liverpool Football Club, now is the time for me to confirm that I will be leaving at the end of the season.
This is easily the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life.
I know many of you have wondered why or been frustrated that I haven’t spoken about this yet, but it was always my intention to keep my full focus on the team’s best interests, which was securing No.20.
This club has been my whole life – my whole world - for 20 years. From the Academy right through until now, the support and love I have felt from everyone inside and outside of the club will stay with me forever. I will forever be in debt to you all.
But, I have never known anything else and this decision is about experiencing a new challenge, taking myself out of my comfort zone and pushing myself both professionally and personally.
I’ve given my all every single day I’ve been at this club, and I hope you feel like I’ve given back to you during my time here.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank everybody – my coaches, my managers, my teammates, the staff and our incredible supporters - for the last 20 years.
I’ve been blessed enough to live out my dreams here and I will never, ever take for granted the special moments I’ve been fortunate enough to have lived through with you all. My love for this club will never die.
Vamos, @RafaelNadal!
As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional.
Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me—a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could. On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game—even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.
I’m not a very superstitious person, but you took it to the next level. Your whole process. All those rituals. Assembling your water bottles like toy soldiers in formation, fixing your hair, adjusting your underwear... All of it with the highest intensity. Secretly, I kind of loved the whole thing. Because it was so unique—it was so you.
And you know what, Rafa, you made me enjoy the game even more.
OK, maybe not at first. After the 2004 Australian Open, I achieved the #1 ranking for the first time. I thought I was on top of the world. And I was—until two months later, when you walked on the court in Miami in your red sleeveless shirt, showing off those biceps, and you beat me convincingly. All that buzz I’d been hearing about you—about this amazing young player from Mallorca, a generational talent, probably going to win a major someday—it wasn’t just hype.
We were both at the start of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking together. Twenty years later, Rafa, I have to say: What an incredible run you’ve had. Including 14 French Opens—historic! You made Spain proud... you made the whole tennis world proud.
I keep thinking about the memories we’ve shared. Promoting the sport together. Playing that match on half-grass, half-clay. Breaking the all-time attendance record by playing in front of more than 50,000 fans in Cape Town, South Africa. Always cracking each other up. Wearing each other out on the court and then, sometimes, almost literally having to hold each other up during trophy ceremonies.
I’m still grateful you invited me to Mallorca to help launch the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2016. Actually, I kind of invited myself. I knew you were too polite to insist on me being there, but I didn’t want to miss it. You have always been a role model for kids around the world, and Mirka and I are so glad that our children have all trained at your academies. They had a blast and learned so much—like thousands of other young players. Although I always worried my kids would come home playing tennis as lefties.
And then there was London—the Laver Cup in 2022. My final match. It meant everything to me that you were there by my side—not as my rival but as my doubles partner. Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career.
Rafa, I know you’re focused on the last stretch of your epic career. We will talk when it’s done. For now, I just want to congratulate your family and team, who all played a massive role in your success. And I want you to know that your old friend is always cheering for you, and will be cheering just as loud for everything you do next.
Rafa that!
Best always, your fan,
Roger